Kateplayfullyvoicedheradmiration;Jimmethimwithabrotherlyridiculewhichbespokehisaffectionaswellashisamusement;butColonelZane,havingonceyieldedtothesameburning,riotouscravingforfreedomwhichnowstirredintheboy'sheart,understood,andfeltwarmlydrawntowardthelad。
　　Hesaidnothing,thoughashewatchedJoehiseyesweregraveandkind。Inhislongfrontierlife,wheremanyadaymeasuredthelifeandfireofordinaryyears,hehadseenladafterladgodownbeforethisforestfever。Itwaswell,hethought,becausethefreedomofthesoildependedonthesewild,light—footedboys;yetitalwaysmadehimsad。Howmanyyouths,hisbrotheramongthem,layunderthefragrantpine—needlecarpetoftheforest,intheirlastearthlysleep！
　　The"raising"broughtoutallthesettlement——thewomentolookonandgossip,whilethechildrenplayed;thementobendtheirbacksinthemovingoftheheavytimbers。Theycelebratedtheerectionofanewcabinasanoteworthyevent。Asasocialfunctionithadaprominentplaceinthesettlers'shortlistofpleasures。
　　Joewatchedtheproceedingwiththesamepleasureandsurprisehehadfeltineverythingpertainingtoborderlife。
　　Tohimthislog—raisingappearedthehardestkindoflabor。Yetitwasplainthesehardymen,theselow—voicedwomen,andmerrychildrenregardedtheworkassomethingfarmoresignificantthanthemerebuildingofacabin。Afterawhileheunderstoodthemeaningofthescene。Akindredspirit,thespiritofthepioneer,drewthemallintoonelargefamily。Thiswasanothercabin;
　　anotherhome;anotheradvancetowardtheconqueringofthewilderness,forwhichthesebravemenandwomenweregivingtheirlives。Inthebright—eyedchildren'sglee,whentheyclappedtheirlittlehandsatthemountinglogs,Joesawtheprogress,themarchofcivilization。
　　"Well,I'msorryyou'retoleaveusto—night,"remarkedColonelZanetoJoe,astheyoungmancameovertowherehe,hiswife,andsisterwatchedthework。
　　"Jonathansaidallwasreadyforyourdepartureatsundown。"
　　"Dowetravelbynight？"
　　"Indeed,yes,mylad。ThereareIndianseverywhereontheriver。Ithink,however,withJackandLewhandlingthepaddles,youwillslipbysafely。Theplanistokeepalongthesouthshoreallnight;thencrossoverataplacecalledGirty'sPoint,whereyouaretoremaininhidingduringdaylight。FromthereyoupaddleupYellowCreek;thenportageacrosscountrytotheheadoftheTuscarwawas。Anothernight'sjourneywillthenbringyoutotheVillageofPeace。"
　　JimandMr。Wells,withhisnieces,joinedthepartynow,andallstoodwatchingasthelastlogswereputinplace。
　　"ColonelZane,myfirstlog—raisingisaneducationtome,"saidtheyoungminister,inhisearnestmanner。"Thissceneissofulloflife。Ineversawsuchgoodwillamonglaboringmen。Lookatthatbrawny—armedgiantstandingonthetopmostlog。Howhewhistlesasheswingshisax！Mr。Wells,doesitnotimpressyou？"
　　"Thepioneersmustbebrothersbecauseoftheirisolationandperil;tobebrothersmeanstoloveoneanother;toloveoneanotheristoloveGod。WhatyouseeinthisfraternityisGod。AndIwanttoseethissamebeautifulfeelingamongtheIndians。"
　　"Ihaveseenit,"saidColonelZane,totheoldmissionary。"WhenIcameoutherealonetwelveyearsagotheIndianswerepeaceable。Ifthepioneershadpaidforland,asIpaidCornplanter,therewouldneverhavebeenaborderwar。Butno;thesettlersmustgraspeveryacretheycould。ThentheIndiansrebelled;thentheGirtysandtheiralliesspreaddiscontent,andnowtheborderisabloodywarpath。"
　　"HavetheJesuitmissionariesaccomplishedanythingwiththesewartribes？"
　　inquiredJim。
　　"No;theirworkhasbeenchieflyamongtheIndiansnearDetroitandnorthward。
　　TheHurons,Delawares,ShawneesandotherwesterntribeshavebeendemoralizedbytheFrenchtraders'rum,andincitedtofiercehatredbyGirtyandhisrenegades。YourworkatGnaddenhuttenmustbeamongthesehostiletribes,anditissurelyahazardousundertaking。"
　　"MylifeisGod's,"murmuredtheoldminister。Nofearcouldassailhissteadfastfaith。
　　"Jim,itstrikesmeyou'dbemorelikelytoimpresstheseIndiansColonelZanespokeofifyou'dgetasuitlikemineandwearaknifeandtomahawk,"
　　interposedJoe,cheerfully。"Then,ifyoucouldn'tconvert,youcouldscalpthem。"
　　"Well,well,letushopeforthebest,"saidColonelZane,whenthelaughterhadsubsided。"We'llgoovertodinnernow。Come,allofyou。Jonathan,bringWetzel。Betty,makehimcome,ifyoucan。"
　　Asthepartyslowlywendeditswaytowardthecolonel'scabinJimandNellfoundthemselvessidebyside。Theyhadnotexchangedawordsincetheeveningprevious,whenJimhadkissedher。Unabletolookateachothernow,andfindingspeechdifficult,theywalkedinembarrassedsilence。
　　"Doesn'tJoelooksplendidinhishuntingsuit？"askedJim,presently。
　　"Ihadn'tnoticed。Yes;helookswell,"repliedNell,carelessly。Shewastooindifferenttobenatural。
　　"Areyouangrywithhim？"
　　"Certainlynot。"
　　Jimwasalwayssimpleandfrankinhisrelationswithwomen。Hehadnoneofhisbrother'sfluencyofspeech,withneitherconfidence,boldnessnorunderstandingoftheintricatemazesofawoman'smoods。
　　"But——youareangrywith——me？"hewhispered。
　　Nellflushedtohertemples,yetshedidnotraisehereyesnorreply。
　　"Itwasaterriblethingformetodo,"wentonJim,hesitatingly。"Idon'tknowwhyItookadvantage——of——ofyourmistakingmeforJoe。Ifyouonlyhadn'theldupyourmouth。No——Idon'tmeanthat——ofcourseyoudidn't。
　　But——well,Icouldn'thelpit。I'mguilty。Ihavethoughtoflittleelse。Somewonderfulfeelinghaspossessedmeeversince——since———"
　　"WhathasJoebeensayingaboutme？"demandedNell,hereyesburninglikeopals。
　　"Why,hardlyanything,"answeredJim,haltingly。"Itookhimtotaskabout——aboutwhatIconsideredmightbewrongtoyou。Joehasneverbeenverycarefulofyoungladies'feelings,andIthought——well,itwasnoneofmybusiness。Hesaidhehonestlycaredforyou,thatyouhadtaughthimhowunworthyhewasofagoodwoman。Buthe'swrongthere。Joeiswildandreckless,yethisheartisawellofgold。Heisadiamondintherough。JustnowheispossessedbywildnotionsofhuntingIndiansandroamingthroughtheforests;buthe'llcomeroundallright。IwishIcouldtellyouhowmuchhehasdoneforme,howmuchIlovehim,howIknowhim！Hecanbemadeworthyofanywoman。Hewilloutgrowthisfiery,daringspirit,andthen——won'tyouhelphim？"
　　"Iwill,ifhewillletme,"softlywhisperedNell,irresistiblydrawnbythestrong,earnestlovethrillinginhisvoice。
　　ChapterX。
　　Oncemoreoutundertheblue—blackvaultofheaven,withitsmyriadsoftwinklingstars,thevoyagersresumedtheirwestwardjourney。Whisperedfarewellsofnewbutsincerefriendslingeredintheirears。Nowthegreatloomingbulkofthefortabovethemfadedintotheobscuredarkness,leavingafeelingasifaprotectorhadgone——perhapsforever。Admonishedtoabsolutesilencebythesternguides,whoseemedindeedtohaveembarkeduponadarkanddeadlymission,thevoyagerslaybackinthecanoesandthoughtandlistened。Thewatereddiedwithsoftgurglesinthewakeoftheracingcanoes;
　　butthatmusicalsoundwasalltheyheard。Thepaddlesmighthavebeenshadows,forallthesplashtheymade;theycutthewaterswiftlyandnoiselessly。Onwardthefrailbarksglidedintoblackspace,sidebyside,closeundertheoverhangingwillows。Longmomentspassedintolonghours,astheguidespaddledtirelesslyasiftheirsinewswerecordsofsteel。
　　Withgraydawncamethecarefullandingofthecanoes,acoldbreakfasteatenundercoverofawillowthicket,andthebeginningofalongdaywhiletheywerelyinghiddenfromthekeeneyesofIndianscouts,waitingforthefriendlymantleofnight。
　　Thehoursdraggeduntiloncemorethecanoeswerelaunched,thistimenotonthebroadOhio,butonastreamthatmirrorednoshiningstarsasitflowedstillandsomberunderthedensefoliage。
　　Thevoyagersspokenot,norwhispered,norscarcelymoved,somenacinghadbecometheslow,listeningcautionofWetzelandZane。Snappingoftwigssomewhereintheinscrutabledarknessdelayedthemforlongmoments。AnymovementtheairmightresoundwiththehorribleIndianwar—whoop。Everysecondwasheavywithfear。Howmarvelousthatthesescouts,penetratingthewildernessofgloom,glidedonsurely,silently,safely！Instinct,ortheeyesofthelynx,guidetheircourse。Butanotherdarknightworeontothetardydawn,andeachofitsfearfulhoursnumberedmilespastandgone。
　　ThesunwasrisinginruddyglorywhenWetzelranhiscanoeintothebankjustaheadofasharpbendinthestream。
　　"Dowegetouthere？"askedJim,seeingJonathanturnhiscanoetowardWetzel's。
　　"Thevillageliesyonder,aroundthebend,"answeredtheguide。"Wetzelcannotgothere,soI'lltakeyouallinmycanoe。"
　　"There'snoroom;I'llwait,"repliedJoe,quietly。Jimnotedhislook——astrange,steadyglanceitwas——andthensawhimfixhiseyesuponNell,watchingheruntilthecanoepassedaroundthegreen—borderedbendinthestream。
　　UnmistakablesignsofanIndiantownwerenowevident。Dozensofgracefulbirchencanoeslayuponthewell—clearedbanks;alogbridgespannedthestream;abovetheslightridgeofrisinggroundcouldbeseenthepolesofIndianteepees。
　　AsthecanoegrateduponthesandybeachalittleIndianboy,whowasplayingintheshallowwater,raisedhisheadandsmiled。
　　"That'sanIndianboy,"whisperedKate。
　　"Thedearlittlefellow！"exclaimedNell。
　　Theboycamerunninguptothem,whentheywerelanded,withpleasureandconfidenceshininginhisduskyeyes。Savefortinybuckskinbreeches,hewasnaked,andhisshinyskingleamedgold—bronzeinthesunlight。Hewasasingularlyhandsomechild。
　　"Me——Benny,"helispedinEnglish,holdinguphislittlehandtoNell。
　　Theactionwasaslovingandtrustingasanythatcouldhavebeenmanifestedbyawhitechild。JonathanZanestaredwithacuriouslightinhisdarkeyes;
　　Mr。WellsandJimlookedasthoughtheydoubtedtheevidenceoftheirownsight。Here,eveninanIndianboy,wasincontestableproofthatthesavagenaturecouldbetamedandcivilized。
　　WithatenderexclamationNellbentoverthechildandkissedhim。
　　JonathanZaneswunghiscanoeup—streamforthepurposeofbringingJoe。Thetrimlittlebarkslippedoutofsightroundthebend。Presentlyitsgray,curvednosepeepedfrombehindthewillows;thenthecanoesweptintoviewagain。Therewasonlyonepersoninit,andthattheguide。
　　"Whereismybrother？"askedJim,inamazement。
　　"Gone,"answeredZane,quietly。
　　"Gone！Whatdoyoumean？Gone？Perhapsyouhavemissedthespotwhereyoulefthim。"
　　"They'rebothgone。"
　　NellandJimgazedateachotherwithslowlywhiteningfaces。
　　"Come,I'lltakeyouuptothevillage,"saidZane,gettingoutofhiscanoe。
　　Allnoticedthathewascarefultotakehisweaponswithhim。
　　"Can'tyoutelluswhatitmeans——thisdisappearance？"askedJim,hisvoicelowandanxious。
　　"They'regone,canoeandall。IknewWetzelwasgoing,butIdidn'tcalkilateonthelad。MebbehefollowedWetzel,mebbehedidn't,"answeredthetaciturnguide,andhespokenomore。
　　Inhiskeenexpectationandwonderastowhatthevillagewouldbelike,Jimmomentarilyforgothisbrother'sdisappearance,andwhenhearrivedatthetopofthebankhesurveyedthescenewitheagerness。WhathesawwasmoreimposingthantheVillageofPeacewhichhehadconjuredupinhisimagination。Confrontinghimwasalevelplain,inthecenterofwhichstoodawide,lowstructuresurroundedbylogcabins,andtheseinturnencircledbyIndianteepees。Anumberoflargetrees,mostlyfull—foliagedmaples,shadedtheclearing。ThesettlementswarmedwithIndians。Afewshrillhalloesutteredbythefirstobserversofthenewcomersbroughtbraves,maidensandchildrentroopingtowardthepartywithfriendlycuriosity。
　　JonathanZanesteppedbeforeacabinadjoiningthelargestructure,andcalledinattheopendoor。Ashort,stoop—shoulderedwhiteman,cladinfadedlinsey,appearedonthethreshold。Hisserious,linedfacehadtheunmistakablebenevolentaspectpeculiartomostteachersofthegospel。
　　"Mr。Zeisberger,I'vefetchedapartyfromFortHenry,"saidZane,indicatingthosehehadguided。Then,withoutanotherword,neverturninghisdarkfacetotherightorleft,hehurrieddownthelanethroughthethrongofIndians。
　　Jimremembered,ashesawtheguidevanishoverthebankofthecreek,thathehadheardColonelZanesaythatJonathan,aswellasWetzel,hatedthesightofanIndian。Nodoubtlongyearsofwarandbloodshedhadrenderedthesetwogreathunterscallous。Tothemtherecouldbenodiscrimination——anIndianwasanIndian。
　　"Mr。Wells,welcometotheVillageofPeace！"exclaimedMr。Zeisberger,wringingtheoldmissionary'shand。"TheyearshavenotbeensolongbutthatIrememberyou。"
　　"Happy,indeed,amItogethere,afterallthesedark,dangerousjourneys,"
　　returnedMr。Wells。"Ihavebroughtmynieces,NellandKate,whowerechildrenwhenyouleftWilliamsburg,andthisyoungman,JamesDowns,aministerofGod,andearnestinhishopeforourwork。"
　　"Agloriousworkitis！Welcome,youngladies,toourpeacefulvillage。And,youngman,Igreetyouwithheartfeltthankfulness。Weneedyoungmen。Comein,allofyour,andsharemycabin。I'llhaveyourluggagebroughtup。Ihavelivedinthishutalone。Withsomelittlelabor,andthemagictouchwomenbringtothemakingofahome,wecanbemostcomfortablehere。"
　　Mr。Zeisbergergavehisownroomtothegirls,assuringthemwithasmilethatitwasthemostluxuriousinthevillage。Theapartmentcontainedachair,atable,andabedofIndianblanketsandbuffalorobes。Afewpegsdriveninthechinksbetweenthelogscompletedthefurnishings。Sparseaswerethecomforts,theyappealedwarmlytothegirls,who,wearyfromtheirvoyage,laydowntorest。
　　"Iamnotfatigued,"saidMr。Wells,tohisoldfriend。"Iwanttohearallaboutyourwork,whatyouhavedone,andwhatyouhopetodo。"
　　"Wehavemetwithwonderfulsuccess,farbeyondourwildestdreams,"respondedMr。Zeisberger。"CertainlywehavebeenblessedofGod。"
　　Thenthemissionarybeganalong,detailedaccountoftheMoravianMission'seffortsamongthewesterntribes。TheworklaychieflyamongtheDelawares,anoblenationofredmen,intelligent,andwonderfullysusceptibletotheteachingofthegospel。AmongtheeasternDelawares,livingontheothersideoftheAlleghenyMountains,themissionarieshadsucceededinconvertingmany;
　　anditwaschieflythroughthewesternexplorationsofFrederickPostthathisChurchdecidedtheIndiansofthewestcouldaswellbetaughttoleadChristianlives。ThefirstattempttoconvertthewesternredmentookplaceupontheupperAllegheny,wheremanyIndians,includingAllemewi,ablindDelawarechief,acceptedthefaith。Themissiondecided,however,itwouldbebesttomovefartherwest,wheretheDelawareshadmigratedandweremorenumerous。
　　InApril,1770,morethantenyearsbefore,sixteencanoes,filledwithconvertedIndiansandmissionaries,drifteddowntheAlleghenytoFortPitt;
　　thencedowntheOhiototheBigBeaver;upthatstreamandfarintotheOhiowilderness。
　　UponatributaryoftheMuskingong,calledtheTuscarwawas,asettlementwasfounded。Nearandfarthenewswascirculated。Redmenfromalltribescameflockingtothenewcolony。Chiefsandwarriors,squawsandmaidens,wereattractedbythenewdoctrineoftheconvertedIndians。Theywereastonishedatthemissionaries'teachings。Manydoubted,somewereconverted,alllistened。GreatexcitementprevailedwhenoldGlickhican,oneofthewisestchiefsoftheTurtletribeoftheDelawares,becameaconverttothepalefaces'religion。
　　Theinterestwidened,andinafewyearsabeautiful,prosperoustownarose,whichwascalledVillageofPeace。TheIndiansofthewarliketribesbestowedtheappropriatename。Thevastforestswererichineveryvarietyofgame;thedeep,swiftstreamswereteemingwithfish。Meatandgraininabundance,buckskinforclothing,andsoftfursforwintergarmentsweretobehadforlittlelabor。Atfirstonlyafewwigwamswereerected。Soonalargelogstructurewasthrownupandusedasachurch。Thenfollowedaschool,amill,andaworkshop。Theverdantfieldswerecultivatedandsurroundedbyrailfences。Horsesandcattlegrazedwiththetimiddeeronthegrassyplains。
　　TheVillageofPeaceblossomedasarose。Thereportsoftheloveandhappinessexistinginthisconvertedcommunityspreadfrommouthtomouth,fromtowntotown,withtheresultthatinquisitivesavagesjourneyedfromallpointstoseethishaven。PeacefulandhostileIndianswerealikeamazedatthechangeintheirbrethren。Thegood—fellowshipandindustryoftheconvertshadawidespreadandwonderfulinfluence。More,perhaps,thananyotherthing,thegreatfieldsofwavingcorn,thehillscoveredwithhorsesandcattle,thoseevidencesofabundance,impressedthevisitorswiththewell—beingoftheChristians。BandsoftravelingIndians,whetherfriendlyorotherwise,weretreatedwithhospitality,andneversentawayempty—handed。Theywereaskedtopartakeoftheabundanceandsolicitedtocomeagain。
　　Afeaturebynomeansinsignificantinthepopularityofthevillagewasthechurchbell。TheIndianslovedmusic,andthisbellcharmedthem。Onstillnightsthesavagesindistanttownscouldhearatduskthedeep—toned,mellownotesofthebellsummoningtheworshiperstotheeveningservice。Itsringingclang,sostrange,sosweet,sosolemn,breakingthevastdeadwildernessquiet,hauntedthesavageearasthoughitwereacallfromawoodlandgod。
　　"Youhavearrivedmostopportunely,"continuedMr。Zeisberger。"Mr。EdwardsandMr。Youngareworkingtoestablishothermissionaryposts。Heckewelderisherenowintheinterestofthisbranchingout。"
　　"HowlongwillittakemetolearntheDelawarelanguage？"inquiredJim。
　　"Notlong。Youdonot,however,needtospeaktheIndiantongue,forwehaveexcellentinterpreters。"
　　"WeheardmuchatFortPittandFortHenryaboutthedanger,aswellasuselessness,ofourventure,"Jimcontinued。"Thefrontiersmendeclaredthateveryrodofthewaywasbesetwithsavagefoes,andthat,evenintheunlikelyeventofourarrivingsafelyattheVillageofPeace,wewouldthenbehemmedinbyfierce,vengefultribes。"
　　"Hostilesavagesaboundhere,ofcourse;butwedonotfearthem。Weinvitethem。Ourworkistoconvertthewicked,toteachthemtoleadgood,usefullives。Wewillsucceed。"
　　Jimcouldnothelpwarmingtotheministerforhisunswervablefaith,hisearnestbeliefthattheworkofGodcouldnotfail;nevertheless,whilehefeltnofearandintendedtoputallhisheartinthework,herememberedwithdisquietudeColonelZane'swarnings。HethoughtofthewonderfulprecautionandeternalvigilanceofJonathanandWetzel——menofallmenwhomostunderstoodIndiancraftandcunning。Itmightwellbepossiblethatthesegoodmissionaries,wrappedupinsavingthesoulsofthesechildrenoftheforestsofullofGod'steachingsastohavelittlemindforaughtelse,hadnoknowledgeoftheIndiannaturebeyondwhatthenarrowscopeoftheirworkinvited。Ifwhatthesefrontiersmenassertedwastrue,thentheministers'
　　zealhadstruckthemblind。
　　Jimhadagrowingideaofthewayinwhichthesavagescouldbebesttaught。
　　Heresolvedtogoslowly;tostudytheredmen'snatures;nottopreachonewordofthegospeltothemuntilhehadmasteredtheirlanguageandcouldconveytotheirsimplemindstherealtruth。HewouldmakeChristianityascleartothemaswerethedeer—trailsonthemossandleavesoftheforest。
　　"Ah,hereyouare。Ihopeyouhaverestedwell,"saidMr。Zeisberger,whenattheconclusionofthislongrecitalNellandKatecameintotheroom。
　　"Thankyou,wefeelmuchbetter,"answeredKate。Thegirlscertainlylookedrefreshed。Thesubstitutionofcleangownsfortheirformertravel—stainedgarmentsmadeachangethatcalledforththeminister'ssurpriseandadmiration。
　　"My！My！Won'tEdwardsandYoungbegmetokeepthemherenow！"heexclaimed,hispleasedeyesrestingonNell'spiquantbeautyandKate'snobleproportionsandrichcoloring。"Come;IwillshowyouovertheVillageofPeace。"
　　"ArealltheseIndiansChristians？"askedJim。
　　"No,indeed。TheseIndiansyouseehere,andoutyonderundertheshade,thoughtheyarefriendly,arenotChristians。Ourconvertsemploythemselvesinthefieldsorshops。Come;takeapeepinhere。Thisiswherewepreachintheeveningsandduringinclementweather。Onpleasantdaysweusethemaplegroveyonder。"
　　Jimandtheotherslookedinatthedoorofthelargelogstructure。Theysawanimmenseroom,thefloorcoveredwithbenches,andaraisedplatformatoneend。Afewwindowsletinthelight。Spaciousandbarn—likewasthisapartment;butundoubtedly,seenthroughthebeamingeyesofthemissionary,itwasagrandamphitheaterforworship。Thehard—packedclayfloorwasvelvetcarpet;therudeseatssoftaseiderdown;theplatformwithitswhite—oakcross,analtarofmarbleandgold。
　　"Thisisoneofourshops,"saidMr。Zeisberger,leadingthemtoacabin。
　　"Herewemakebrooms,harnessforthehorses,farmingimplements——everythingusefulthatwecan。Wehaveaforgehere。BeholdanIndianblacksmith！"
　　Theinteriorofthelargecabinpresentedasceneofbustlingactivity。
　　TwentyormoreIndiansbenttheirbacksinearnestemployment。Inonecornerasavagestoodholdingapieceofred—hotirononananvil,whileabrawnybravewieldedasledge—hammer。Thesparksflew;theanvilrang。Inanothercorneracircleofbravessataroundapileofdriedgrassandflags。Theyweretwistingandfashioningthesematerialsintobaskets。AtabenchthreeIndiancarpenterswerepoundingandsawing。Youngbravesranbackandforth,carryingpails,rough—hewnboardsandblocksofwood。
　　Instantlystruckbytwothings,Jimvoicedhiscuriosity:
　　"WhydotheseIndiansallwearlonghair,smoothandshiny,withoutadornment？"
　　"TheyareChristians。Theywearneitherheaddress,war—bonnet,norscalp—lock,"repliedMr。Zeisberger,withunconsciouspride。
　　"Ididnotexpecttoseeablacksmith'sanvilouthereinthewilderness。
　　Wheredidyouprocurethesetools？"
　　"Wehavebeenyearsgettingthemhere。SomecamebywayoftheOhioRiver;
　　othersoverlandfromDetroit。Thatanvilhasahistory。Itwaslostonce,andlayforyearsinthewoods,untilsomeIndiansfounditagain。ItiscalledtheRingingStone,andIndianscomefrommilesaroundtoseeandhearit。"
　　Themissionarypointedoutwidefieldsofcorn,nowgrowingyellow,andhillsidesdotedwithbrowsingcattle,drovesofsturdy—limbedhorses,andpensoffat,gruntingpigs——allofwhichattestedtothegrowingprosperityoftheVillageofPeace。
　　Onthewaybacktothecabin,whiletheotherslistenedtoandquestionedMr。
　　Zeisberger,Jimwassilentandthoughtful,forhisthoughtsrevertedtohisbrother。
　　Later,ashewalkedwithNellbythegolden—fringedstream,hespokeofJoe。
　　"JoewantedsomuchtohuntwithWetzel。Hewillcomeback;surelyhewillreturntouswhenhehassatisfiedhiswildcravingforadventure。Doyounotthinkso？"
　　TherewasaneagernessthatwasalmostpleadinginJim'svoice。Whathesomuchhopedfor——thatnoharmhadbefallenJoe,andthathewouldreturn——hedoubted。heneededtheencouragementofhishope。
　　"Never,"answeredNell,solemnly。
　　"Oh,why——whydoyousaythat？"
　　"Isawhimlookatyou——astrange,intentglance。Hegazedlongatmeasweseparated。Oh！Icanfeelhiseyes。No;hewillnevercomeback。"
　　"Nell,Nell,youdonnotmeanhewentawaydeliberately——because,oh！Icannotsayit。"
　　"Fornoreason,exceptthatthewildernesscalledhimmorethanloveforyouor——me。"
　　"No,no,"returnedJim,hisfacewhite。"Youdonotunderstand。Hereallylovedyou——Iknowit。Helovedme,too。Ah,howwell！Hehasgonebecause——I
　　can'ttellyou。"
　　"Oh,Jim,Ihope——heloved——me,"sobbedNell,burstingintotears。"Hiscoldness——hisneglectthose——lastfewdays——hurtme——so。Ifhecared——asyousay——Iwon'tbe——so——miserable。"
　　"Wearebothright——youwhenyousayhewillneverreturn,andIwhenIsayhelovedusboth,"saidJimsadly,asthebittercertaintyforceditselfintohismind。
　　Asshesobbedsoftly,andhegazedwithset,sternfaceintothedarkeningforest,thedeep,mellownotesofthechurchbellpealedout。Sothrilled,sostartledweretheybythismelodywondrouslybreakingthetwilightstillness,thattheygazedmutelyateachother。Thentheyremembered。Itwasthemissionary'sbellsummoningtheChristianIndianstotheeveningservice。
　　ChapterXI。
　　The,sultry,drowsy,summerdayspassedwithnountowardeventtomartheirslumberingtranquillity。LifeforthenewcomerstotheVillageofPeacebroughtacontent,thelikeofwhichtheyhadneverdreamedof。Mr。WellsatoncebeganactiveworkamongtheIndians,preachingtothemthroughaninterpreter;NellandKate,inhoursapartfromhouseholdduties,busiedthemselvesbrighteningtheirnewabode,andJimentereduponthetaskofacquaintinghimselfwiththemodesandhabitsoftheredmen。Truly,theyoungpeoplemighthavefoundperfecthappinessinthisnewandnovellife,ifonlyJoehadreturned。Hisdisappearanceandsubsequentabsencefurnishedathemeformanytalksandmanyaquiethourofdreamysadness。Thefascinationofhispersonalityhadbeensoimpellingthatlongafteritwaswithdrawnacharmlingeredaroundeverythingwhichremindedthemofhim;asubtleandsweetmemory,withperverseandhalfbitterpersistence,returnedhauntingly。NotraceofJoehadbeenseenbyanyofthefriendlyIndianrunners。Hewasgoneintothemazesofdeep—shadowedforests,wheretohuntforhimwouldbelikestrivingtotrailtheflightofaswallow。Twoofthosehehadleftbehindalwaysrememberedhim,andintheirthoughtsfollowedhiminhiswanderings。
　　JimsettleddowntohisstudyofIndianswithsingle—heartednessofpurpose。
　　Hespentpartofeverymorningwiththeinterpreters,withwhoseassistanceherapidlyacquiredtheDelawarelanguage。HewentfreelyamongtheIndians,endeavoringtowintheirgood—will。TherewerealwaysfiftytoanhundredvisitingIndiansatthevillage;sometimes,whenthemissionarieshadadvertisedaspecialmeeting,therewereassembledintheshadymaplegroveasmanyasfivehundredsavages。Jimhad,therefore,opportunitiestopracticehisofficesoffriendliness。
　　Fortunatelyforhim,heatoncesucceededinestablishinghimselfinthegoodgracesofGlickhican,theconvertedDelawarechief。ThewiseoldIndianwasofinestimablevaluetoJim。Earlyintheiracquaintanceheevincedanearnestregardfortheyoungminister,andtalkedwithhimforhours。
　　FromGlickhicanJimlearnedtherealnatureoftheredmen。TheIndian'sloveoffreedomandhonor,hishatredofsubjectionanddeceit,asexplainedbythegoodoldman,recalledtoJimColonelZane'sestimateofthesavagecharacter。
　　Surely,asthecolonelhadsaid,theIndianshadreasonfortheirhatredofthepioneers。Truly,theywereablightedrace。
　　Seldomhadtherightsoftheredmenbeenthoughtof。Thesettlerpushedonward,plodding,asitwere,behindhisplowwitharifle。HeregardedtheIndianaslittlebetterthanabeast;hewaseasiertokillthantotame。Howlittlethesettlerknewtheproudindependence,thewisdom,thestainlesschastityofhonor,whichbelongedsotrulytomanyIndianchiefs！
　　Theredmenweredrivenlikehoundeddeerintotheuntroddenwilds。Fromfreemenoftheforests,fromownersofthegreatboundlessplains,theypassedtostern,enduringfugitivesontheirownlands。Smallwonderthattheybecamecruelwhereoncetheyhadbeengentle！Stratagemandcunning,thenightassault,thedaylightambushtooktheplaceoftheirone—timeopenwarfare。
　　Theirchivalrouscourage,thatsublimeinheritancefromancestorswhohadneverknownthepalefacefoe,degeneratedintoasavageferocity。
　　InterestingaswasthishistorytoJim,hecaredmoreforGlickhican'srichportrayaloftheredmen'sdomesticlife,forthebeautifulpoetryofhistraditionandlegends。HeheardwithdelighttheexquisitefancifulIndianlore。Fromtheseromanticlegends,beautifulpoems,andmarvelousmythshehopedtogetideasoftheIndian'sreligion。Sweetandsimpleaschildlessdreamswerethesequainttales——talesofhowthewoodlandfairiesdweltinfern—carpeteddells;howatsunrisetheycameouttokissopentheflowers;
　　howtheforestwalkswerespirit—hauntedpaths;howtheleaveswhisperedpoetrytothewinds;howtherocksharboredIndiangodsandmasterswhowatchedovertheirchosenones。